There are a number of conditions in which an individual experiences impairment or a loss of the ability to communicate by verbal speech or by writing, or has decreased ability to understand written or spoken language, due to a brain injury, illness, or disease condition.
Many individuals afflicted by autism, a brain injury, stroke, or other injury caused by external forces may suffer from a severe loss of the ability to verbally communicate, in addition to a severe loss of motor skill. The partial or total inability to communicate through verbal speech or written language makes it difficult for professional caregivers and family members to ascertain the needs of the patient and to provide the appropriate care and assistance.
The ability of an individual to communicate to others varies depending on the level of disability. This is particularly important in a hospital setting or long-term care facility where there are many patients that are unable to verbally communicate with the health care providers and hospital staff, and many patients have different levels of verbal capability. The problem faced by the caregiver is magnified when the patient has severe damage to their motor function.
A wide variety of augmentative and assistive communication devices have been developed for use by individuals having differing degrees of verbal communication skills. A number of portable, “text-to-speech” communication devices are available. For those individuals that do not have the motor capability to use a keyboard, scanning communication devices are also available. The proficient use of these devices is dependant on the motor skills of the patient.
One such group of devices utilizes a laptop type of device, which is principally intended for persons who have severe limitation to their verbal communication ability. These devices generally include a touch screen divided in to zones. Each zone has a pictorial or script representation of a communication request or response of the patient. In order to communicate, the patient touch activates the corresponding zone, which represents the desired communication. Upon actuation, the device produces an audible expression of the represented depiction request or response. However, these devices are limited to persons having sufficient motor control to appropriately target the desired zone independently of assistance.